Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 12:00 am News Flash Archive

Explosive new allegations against Dr. Arnold Smith in the murder-for-hire plot against Lee Abraham have surfaced in a court filing by Abraham in his civil suit against Smith.

This filing, Abraham's Second Amended Complaint, has not been reported by the media to this point. Filed in March 2014, Abraham's attorneys lay out details never before disclosed to the public about the events that led up to Smith's arrest on Sunday morning, April 29, 2012.

Arnold Smith and Derrick Lacey were indicted on August 29, 2012 by the Leflore County Grand Jury for conspiracy to murder Lee Abraham and for capital murder in the death of their alleged accomplice, Keaira Byrd.

Dr. Smith was later declared incompetent to stand trial and presently resides in the state mental hospital.

Abraham filed a civil action against Smith for plotting to murder him and hiring hit-men to do so. The explosive Second Amended Complaint may be seen here: Abraham v. Smith Amended Complaint

Some of the new details revealed in Abraham's pleadings include:

1. In the two weeks prior to the shoot-out, Smith allegedly cashed 6 different checks for cash totaling $14,000. On two of the checks, he wrote "expense for Lee Abraham" and "use for Lee."

2. Five days before the shoot-out, Smith executed 3 Powers of Attorney to his wife, Mary Smith, his daughter Jennifer Welch, and his son Arnold Bouchard Smith. These POAs were sweeping in their scope, giving these persons complete control to act in all matters relating to Arnold Smith and on his behalf, including the disposal of all his property and assets.

3. In response to Abraham's ad in the Commonwealth offering a reward for information about the author of a scurrilous letter that had been circulated about his family, Abraham received numerous calls starting April 27th from a person who claimed to have a video proving that Smith was the letter's author. Several meetings were scheduled, but the caller kept changing the meeting place. A meeting at Honest Abe's Donut shop, Church's Chicken, and the alley behind the police station were either rejected by the caller or by Abraham as undesirable.

4. The caller then revealed to Abraham that he had an automatic weapon he claimed belonged to Smith with Smith's fingerprints on it.

5. A meeting was finally agreed upon at Abraham's law office at 8 pm Saturday evening, April 28th.

6. The Attorney General's office was already investigating an alleged prior attempt by Smith to hire a person to kill Abraham. Abraham claims that Smith attempted to hire Keno Billingsley to kill Abraham, but that Billingsley told Abraham about it instead.

7. The AG sent agents to Greenwood to attend the 8 pm meeting with the anonymous caller to view the video he promised to show Abraham because they thought it might have some bearing on their open investigation of Smith.

8. Upon instructions from the AG agents, Abraham told the caller just before the fateful meeting that on no account was he to bring the weapon allegedly owned by Smith, and that Abraham had no interest in it.

9. Abraham received several calls at 8 pm that evening and subsequent, making it clear that the caller wanted Abraham to meet him at the front door of his office. The AG agents instructed Abraham to remain in a back office while they waited for the caller inside the office near the front door.

10. The caller then called Abraham again and told him the front door of Abraham's office was stuck, and asked Abraham to come open it for him. It was at this point that Abraham concluded the caller was coming to kill him.

11. Abraham remained in his office armed with a .45 caliber semi-automatic Colt pistol, a 9 mm Sig-Sauer semi-automatic pistol, one in each hand. He also had a .38 Smith and Wesson in his back pocket.

12. Abraham heard gunshots from the front of his office, and a person running down the hall towards his back office where he was stationed. The man turned out to be one of the agents, who asked Abraham to call 9-1-1.

13. Abraham claims that he never strayed into the front office, but as instructed remained in the rear office at all times.

In addition, Abraham alleges that the actual agreement reached between Smith and Byrd to assassinate Abraham was memorialized in a video tape by Smith, which was seized by the police, and that the contract and plotting took place at Smith's Cancer Center at the Greenwood-Leflore Hospital.

Because Smith was the sole officer, director, owner, and agent of the Cancer Center, Abraham has sued not only Smith, but the Cancer Center itself as having also participated in the conspiracy to hire hit-men to kill him.

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

News Flash Archive